WAR

Sun 8.25.19

Some thoughts on war as the Hawaiian Congresswoman, Tulsi Gabbard proposes that America end the wars. A daring proposal considering the country has been at war for so long one can’t even imagine a time in which turmoil did not reign. Peace is what occurs between wars. It’s generally a time of regrouping, lessons learned, pitfalls to avoid. Everything that happens to human beings is known in one’s soul, and wars are familiar activities that define humanity. The cleanest description of war is the terrorizing and killing of human beings, taking or destroying their resources, their possessions. The dichotomy between war and peace is false. Rather, the two are one continuous loop in which, depending on a number of factors, the species swings wildly from one position to the other.

Aggressiveness, competitiveness, sports, are mini wars within self or against others. One wants to win, assert herself, become queen of the hill. Some say these characteristics are more pronounced among the poor, the blacks. Oops, did I say something racist? Well yes, blacks are a race, and at 12 percent of the US population, they commit most of the country’s crimes. So it’s fair to assume they’re more aggressive than other peoples. Is that a good thing, a bad thing? We’re back at the loop, it’s a continuum, too much aggressiveness could get you killed, and too little aggression could get you killed. Blacks are a strong people; they survive and even thrive through the direst of situations.

The answer to whether aggressiveness is good or bad is decided at one level by the government that, through it laws, has set about to control behavior it considers inutile while rewarding it in other contexts. Some in the Wall Street, banking, corporate world, as a result of their aggressive behavior, make the serial rapist’s violence appear to be mere child’s play. So much for “the poor are more aggressive” theory.

Peace occurs when the aggressive energy gets creatively focused on other pursuits; and war is a decision made by the warrior because he/she has a taste for blood, for carnage, for glory. Personal ethics will decide how and why, to what gain, at what price one deploys one’s army. I’m with Tulsi on this one.